ANSBAUGH AUDITORIUM

ANSBAUGH AUDITORIUM

The Ansbaugh Auditorium is the Museum’s gateway for your visit …

… with ever-changing and stimulating exhibits that unfold before you, including the wonders of Sonoran Desert life, history and prehistory, plus works by local artists.  The auditorium is named after Roberta Ansbaugh who was actively involved in the “museum-to-be”.

Indian pottery at cave creek museum

Enjoy an amazing collection of art and bronzes capturing the splendor of the West and the vivid colors of the Sonoran Desert.  Artists include many famous local painters and sculptors.  Jerry Sieve’s photographs are now on display.

ancient woven baskets

Learn about the remarkable critters and plants that resist blistering heat and exist on limited water. Dig into the hands-on baskets to look closely at local wonders. Don’t miss the saguaro cross-section that shows how it survives in the desert.

ancient woven baskets

This astonishing display combines geology with gastronomy. ‘Dishes’ were created out of minerals and rocks with a striking resemblance to eatable food. Don’t eat the samples!  (On loan from the AZ Mining, Mineral, & Natural Resources Museum.)

hohokam pit house exhibit

Writer, poet, naturalist, environmentalist – Geoffrey Platts left England to explore Arizona and dedicated his life to preserving the Sonoran Desert. His journals of solitary meanderings earned him the title “Poet Laureate of Scottsdale and Cave Creek.”